Algorithm Analysis and Design: Kruskal's Algorithm - Proof of Correctnes

Hi peers,

We know Prim’s algorithm can correctly find the minimum spanning tree (MST) in a given graph. Kruskal algorithm (“the algorithm” in the following context) is yet another simple but powerful way to find MST in a graph. In this short essay, I will provide the pseudocode and the proof for the algorithm in two parts.

Pseudocode

Setup:
Given a graph, G (V, E), V: {v1, v2, …, v_n} is the set of vertices in the graph and E: {e1, e2, …, e_n} is the set of edges. 
 ∀ e_i ϵ E,∃ a corresponding cost,c_i; i ∈{1,2,3,…,n}. C:{c1,c2,…,c_n } denotes the set of costs associated with E. 
T is the set of edges that have been visited by the algorithm. 
m denotes the number of edges, while n denotes the number of vertices. 

Initialization: T= ∅

Steps:
- Sort E in order of increasing cost. 
- For the counter k = 1 to m: 
		If ( T ∪{k} has no cycles) 
			Add k to T. 
-Return T as MST. 

Proof of Correctness:
To prove, we